On the Croatian Army’s 30th anniversary day of the National Guard Corps (ZNG) muster at the NK Stadium in Zagreb, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic recently confirmed that the old and barely operational (once probably ex-Ukrainian) MiG-21s will be replaced in a G2G government deal by twelve used Dassault Rafale F3-R from the French Air Force (see report). There is talk of ten single-seaters and – as everywhere except Austria – two two-seaters.

After a long back-and-forth and the failed attempt – despite Trump’s efforts – to acquire used Israeli-modified F-16A/Bs due to US legislation, Zagreb has now decided in favor of the French package and against renewed proposals from Israel, Sweden and the USA. Especially for Saab in particular, the last campaign in Central-Eastern Europe has been lost; originally, they were pretty sure about Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia with regard to Gripen. Zagreb now expects to have trained pilots when the first aircraft arrive from France at the beginning of 2024. All twelve aircraft should be operational by 2025. The French offer includes a flight simulator, a basic weapons package (Meteor-BVR was not explicitly mentioned), ground and test equipment, spare parts, flight instructor training, comprehensive support from authorized representatives of the manufacturer over a period of three years and a twelve-month warranty for each aircraft, engine and other equipment and spare parts. The aircraft are expected to receive a service life extension of a further 2,000 hours before delivery, which should mean around 20 more years of operation for Croatia.

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In addition to the French Air Force, Egypt, India, Qatar and Greece currently also operate Rafale fleets, with Croatia now becoming the fifth export country in total.

In response to domestic criticism that the government should focus its efforts on helping the pandemic-stricken economy instead of spending a lot of money on weapons, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said: “The French offer to supply the aircraft for 999 million euros was the best offer. At the lowest price, Croatia will receive the best-evaluated and best-equipped aircraft according to our experts. The twin-engine Rafale is equipped with advanced attack and navigation systems, a latest-generation radar, a high level of integration of sensors and self-protection systems and the ability to use a wide range of weapons, making it one of the best multifunctional fighter jets of our time. The chosen solution also has the advantage that all weapons and containers are manufactured by France itself, so it does not depend on the goodwill of a ‘third party’ to provide us with the weapons that this aircraft can carry. The jet will keep Croatia’s capabilities high and strengthen the air force to a level we have never had. This was especially important as the service life of our MiGs expires in 2024. And no, it wasn’t about giving the military ‘new toys’ either – these aircraft are simply the foundation of our security!”

Croatia joined the NATO and four years later joined the European Union. According to NATO figures, the country spends slightly less than one billion US dollars (around 800 million euros) on defense each year, falling just short of the alliance’s recommendation that members should invest 2 percent of GDP in their armed forces. Plenkovic also said that the purchase of the French jets in unspecified installments until 2025 would now bring Croatia’s spending above the 2 percent mark. Of course, not everyone in Croatia agrees with this rather “sporty” choice of type. A Croatian newspaper quotes an unnamed military pilot who even describes the aircraft as “proper overkill” and suspects a political decision, not a military one. Croatia, with its QRA air policing role, would never utilize the multi-role potential of the Rafale, he argues. However, all models available on the market today have this potential; the classic air police interceptor with visual range guidance weapons (such as the MiG-21 or our former Saab Draken) has long been passé and is no longer available on the market. His argument that a lot of money has to be invested in new infrastructure in Zagreb-Pleso for the Rafale also gradually applies to all new models – see the revival of Zeltweg from the “Vietnam War era” by the Eurofighter. In addition, Croatia has a north-south layout with 1,800 kilometers of coastline and, with its eastern “antagonist” Serbia, a Russian air-armed neighbor that recently received the last of its 14 MiG-29s – from Belarus, by the way.

The Western Balkan state is now – relatively late in the Rafale’s career – the fifth export customer for the Mirage successor, after Egypt (24), Qatar (36), India (36) and Greece (18, some of which are also used). After all, the first flight of the type took place as early as 1986, with near-series test flights starting in 1991. Since the end of 2000 and the end of 2004 respectively, the series version has been delivered to its own Aviation Navale and the Armée de l’Air, which are planning to procure a total of 286 aircraft. To date, 180 have been ordered, with the 100th aircraft being delivered in the third quarter of 2011.

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